


but i'm in this space with you

by bielsahours



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Cat Olaf (Disney), Dog Sven (Disney), Elsa & Kristoff Friendship (Disney), Elsa and Honeymaren are Roommates, F/F, Mutual Pining, elsa is a useless gay, honeymaren is a useless gay, i love me some icebros, lots of mutual pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bielsahours/pseuds/bielsahours
Summary: Honeymaren’s smile was hopeful, bright, and Elsa couldn’t help but return it. “I hope … I mean, I’d be happy to room with you.”“I’d like that.” Her fingers had twisted together, nervously, but her smile was open, excited.Honeymaren made a small sound, not quite a squeak but not far from it and lunged forward gathering her into a hug. She smelled warm, a little musky, intermingled with a light perfume. It reminded Elsa of sunshine, freshly cut grass and long walks through a glade in summer. Despite her nerves, it became an effort to pull away.“Sorry!” Honeymaren was apologising, but Elsa barely heard her. “I’m so excited.” A glance down at her phone prompted a grimace. “I have to go. I’m sorry – I’ll text you later!”Honeymaren began to run, throwing a quick wave behind her. As she waved back, Elsa’s eyes slid down past the hem of her tan blazer, watching the way her thick, muscular thighs moved beneath the thin denim. She watched until the girl rounded the corner, at which point she realised just exactly what she had been doing and, with a mortified groan, buried her face in a hand.Shit. This was the worst that could happen.
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 40





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> here is the first chapter of my long-awaited (by me) elsamaren fic! so glad i finally got my arse in gear and wrote it omg. if you liked it or have any concrit, please do leave me a comment!!
> 
> beta'd by my wonderful girlfriend @Violet_Dreamer . she's so talented, you guys!!!

“You don’t _have_ to go!” Anna whined as she poured milk into her cereal. Elsa stifled a chuckle, instead taking a sip of her coffee – a new nut roast she thought she’d try. Across the kitchen island, Anna continues speaking, one arm waving violently along with her speech, the other holding a precariously balanced spoonful of fruit loops. “You could stay here! We could clear out Sven’s room – I know he’s a big dog, but does he really need a _whole room_ to himself?”

Elsa glanced at Sven curled up in his bed, his ears pricking up when he heard his name.

“Isn’t that room _technically_ your office?” Elsa interrupted Anna’s continuing tirade with a raised brow, humouring her sister for a few moments longer. Placing her mug down on the island, she reached for her array of coffee syrups, the only kitchen items she had bothered to unpack in the week she had been sleeping on Anna and Kristoff’s sofa.

“- He sleeps on our bed most nights anyway!” Anna ate her spoonful of cereal with gusto, still amped up from their conversation. Not taking the time to swallow, she continued her argument with a mouthful brightly coloured cereal. Elsa crinkled her nose. “Well, yes – technically! But – do I ever really use it?”

It was at this moment that Kristoff, who had been sat silently at Anna’s side with an expression of fond amusement, chose to speak up.

“Anna-”

“Don’t answer that!”

Unable to resist Elsa laughed out loud, the delicious warmth of her love for her sister ringing through her. As exhausting as she could be, Elsa loved Anna’s energy and determination – even if she often got caught in the middle of the adventures that ensued. Welcoming Elsa into their home after her new rental apartment had fallen through, despite being _very_ newly married was just par for the course for Anna and Kristoff, though Elsa could have done without them acting like they were still on their honeymoon.

“Anna, it’s fine. _Really._ ” Elsa reached across the counter and took Anna’s still moving hand, gently pulling it down. “This was _never_ supposed to be permanent.”

“But- “

“I’m not going far.” Her voice was gentle, but matter of fact as she stirred the healthy serving of syrup into her coffee and tapped the teaspoon on the edge of the mug.

“It’s not like you’ll never see me again.” She chose not to remind Anna that, were it not for her losing the apartment she so desperately wanted just a week before the lease was up on her old place, she wouldn’t be here anyway.

“Besides-” Elsa took a bite of her chocolate-covered toast, which she then used to point at her, now pouting, sister. “You guys need your space. You don’t need me here all the time.” As much as she loved her sister and new-brother-in-law, there was only so much time she could spend on a newlywed couple’s couch without wanting to vomit.

“But we _like_ you being here all the time,” Anna argued, turning to her husband for support, smacking his broad shoulder lightly with the back of her hand to get his attention. “ _Right_ , Kristoff?”

“Uh-” Rather put on the spot, Kristoff fumbled for an answer and Elsa pursed her lips to hide her smile as she watched the cogs turning. “Elsa. You know I love you.” He paused to glance quickly at Anna before setting his gaze determinedly away again. “ _But-”_

Anna was opening her mouth to argue again, finger already pointing at the big, bashful man who somehow looked so tiny sat next to her fiery younger sister. Elsa decided to put him out of his misery.

“It’s okay, Kristoff. Really! You guys need your space to be a couple and I need my space to be … me.” Elsa glanced up at the clock, desperate for a way to end the conversation before it got even dicier, for her _or_ her brother-in-law, and to her relief saw she was going to be late. _Shit!_

“I’ve got to go.” She took another gulp of her coffee, scalding her tongue and ran for her laptop bag, petting Sven’s big, dopey head on the way. “I’ll see you tonight!”

“But Elsa-!” Elsa had already slipped on her shoes and was heading for the door, already regretting abandoning her toast so readily – but there was no time to go back for it now.

“Remember, you’re cooking tonight!” She called as she opened the door and Anna groaned. “I love you.”

“I love you too-”

“Bye!”

With that, she shut the door behind her and took off down the hallway, her mind suddenly far from the stress of apartment hunting, focused only on the fact that she was about to miss her train.

* * *

**Sven’s Dad:**

What about this one?

_CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW LINK_

**Elsa:**

The kitchen is … interesting.

**Sven’s Dad:**

Okay, okay.

This one?

_CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW LINK_

**Elsa:**

Nice view.

Wait – It’s near a hospital. Never mind.

**Sven’s Dad:**

I mean, at least you’re close in an emergency?

Y’know, just in case.

**Elsa:**

I’ll take the risk.

I prefer my sleep uninterrupted.

**Sven’s Dad:**

So picky.

This one?

_CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW LINK_

Elsa bit into her apple as she scrolled through the rental website on her phone. For the fourth time this week, she was spending her lunch break apartment hunting and getting more and more desperate as time went on. She loved her little sister, but right now she’d give anything to pull her clothes out of a wardrobe rather than a suitcase. Thankfully, Kristoff usually took his lunch at the same time as her and was more than happy to help her out with her search for a new place to live.

Discarding her apple core in the bin beside her desk, Elsa called up the listing on her laptop to get a better look at the images. Surely it couldn’t be as nice as it looked on a mobile, right? There had to be something she was missing. Her eyes scanned the page, an eyebrow raising at the suspiciously nice living area and –

Oh. _That’s_ what she was missing. Both eyebrows disappeared under her fringe as she looked at the price. Even with her comfortable salary, she couldn’t afford that – not even if she ate only canned food for the rest of her life.

Scrolling up to the pictures again she bit her lip and let out a soft whine. It really was _perfect._

**Elsa:**

That is _not_ in my price range.

**Sven’s Dad:**

But it’s pretty perfect, right?

**Elsa:**

Really perfect. It’s a pity I can’t afford it.

**Sven’s Dad:**

Isn’t the advantage of being the boss that you can give yourself a pay rise?

Elsa couldn’t help but laugh, even as she rolled her eyes. Tempting though it could be on occasions such as this, the reality was it just wasn’t that simple – especially when the company was still finding its feet. A substantial pay rise was still a long way off.

**Elsa:**

Not exactly…

What else have you got?

**Sven’s Dad:**

Hold on

If you like it that much, why not just get a roommate?

There’s two bedrooms

You get the place at half the price, and someone else gets it too!

It’s a win-win!

**Elsa:**

A roommate?

I don’t think so

**Sven’s Dad:**

What’s wrong with a roommate?

Didn’t you have one in college?

Elsa’s wrinkled nose softened at the thought of her college roommate, a sweet German girl who went by the nickname ‘Punz’. Kind-hearted and energetic, she had reminded Elsa of Anna, which helped and hindered her homesickness in equal measure. But Punz had moved back to Germany not long after their graduation and seemed quite content where she was. Looking for a roommate meant being okay with living with a total stranger. Then you had to get to know them and learn about their quirks, deal with their inevitable irritating habits … it sounded less than ideal.

**Elsa:**

I did.

But no one I know is looking for a place to live, and the  
last thing I want is to move in with a complete stranger.

The search for the perfect apartment continues…

Her eyes finding the clock sat on her desk, Elsa quickly finished the last of her wrap. Sending a swift apology text to Kristoff, she placed her phone face down on the desk and pulled her laptop towards her. Her cursor hovered over the _close window_ button for a moment. She bit her lip almost guiltily. _Well…It can’t hurt to keep it open. Just for design ideas._ She bookmarked the page and went back to work, determined to put the apartment out of her mind before she tortured herself anymore.

* * *

“You know, you should just listen to me.” Kristoff put her mug of tea down and peered over Elsa’s shoulder as she stared at her laptop screen. One whole week after finding her dream apartment and it was still available – unfortunately, it was still just as expensive.

“Having a roommate isn’t that bad. And you’d have someone to feed Olaf when you work late!” The cat in question was sat on Elsa’s lap, his furry, white face buried in her cardigan. She stroked him absently as she examined the price again – maybe she could make it work? Maybe?

“I don’t know, Kristoff,” she sighed, nibbling on her lower lip anxiously. “Maybe I should just keep looking for somewhere else.” The problem was there _wasn’t_ anywhere else. There was always something she couldn’t overlook, something so frustrating she couldn’t just _make do._ One was the perfect size, but didn’t allow pets. Another had a beautiful kitchen, but was an hour and a half away from work. But this place had everything, including a hefty price tag.

“Look, just ask around. What’s the worst that can happen?” Kristoff raised his arms in a shrug. Sven pushed his nose underneath one arm and sniffed a little too closely at Olaf for Elsa to be comfortable.

“I could move in with a serial killer.” Elsa deadpanned, her hands resting protectively on the ball of fluff on her lap. Olaf didn’t seem to be concerned at Sven’s interest, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

“I mean, that’s pretty unlikely – statistically, I mean.” Kristoff coughed and put a hand on her shoulder. “Just, ask around. You can meet them first, and if you don’t like any of them, don’t live with them!”

Elsa pursed her lips, gritted her teeth and sighed. He was right, what’s the worst that could happen? _Other_ than the whole serial killer thing.

“Alright. I’ll think about it.”

“Yes!” Kristoff grinned and gave her a one-armed side-hug; something she never took for granted. When she first met Kristoff, he shook her hand and hadn’t been able to work up the nerve to touch her again until a year later when he proposed to Anna and bear-hugged her out of the blue. She never thought she’d gain a friend, at most she’d hoped Anna’s husband would be tolerable, but Kristoff was as close to a brother as she could get.

“Alright, I may have looked into it earlier, and I found some sites where you can look for other people who want roommates – it’s totally legit!”

Elsa found it hard to believe that they were all ‘totally legit’, but found herself pulled along with his enthusiasm, even more so when Anna got home and joined in. With their help, and their hindrance, she managed to construct a post; it explained she was looking for another woman to live with, small pets were fine (if they wouldn’t eat her cat), and absolutely no smokers or drugs – the list was thorough. _Better safe than sorry._

“Alright,” Elsa sighed, taking a bite of the simple, but delicious, pesto pasta Anna had thrown together for them. “I think I’m done.”

Anna cheered and Kristoff punched the air, nose deep in his pasta bowl.

“Post it!” Anna encouraged, leaning over the arm of her sofa, brandishing her fork.

Elsa bit her lip. This wasn’t ideal but…she thought back to some of the worse apartments she’d seen, in the shadier parts of town, with questionable phrases in their description like ‘interesting’ and ‘quirky’, which loosely translated as ‘run down’ and ‘1960’s plumbing’. Even if her dream apartment went in the meantime, with a roommate she could afford something just as nice – just as close to work, as close to Anna. It was worth it. Right?

She took a deep breath in.

She pressed ‘send’.


	2. chapter two

“You’re up early.”

Honeymaren twisted around with a start. The young reindeer whose head lay on her lap seemed unbothered by the disturbance and nudged her hand with his nose, urging her to continue scratching his head.

“Oh, hey, Ryder.” With a small smile, she turned back and complied with her young charge, Honeymaren as happy with the situation as the reindeer seemed to be. She watched as her brother slung his bag over the fence and passed through the gate. She could hear him muttering under his breath to the reindeer even as he walked, their gentle snuffles a soothing reply only he could understand.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Right.” Ryder unceremoniously flopped down beside her, snatching his satchel from a bull who was trying to steal more than his fair share of carrots. “And that’s, what, the fifth time this week?”

Honeymaren rolled her eyes, taking a carrot from Ryder’s bag and offering it to the calf in her lap, chuckling at his excitement.

“Stop it. I’m fine.” She looked over at him to see his brow raised in disbelief but chose not to comment. If he wanted to have a real conversation about how she was feeling he would, but she certainly didn’t want to.

“We need to talk about this.” Oh. He wanted to have The Conversation. “You’re not sleeping, you’re sighing all the time. You miss the city, don’t you?”

He was right. She adored their farm with the sprawling hills and fields, the sharp cold in winter and cool summer breezes; the reindeer herd they watched over, who was as much her family as Ryder was. This was her home and in a way it always would be. But it wasn’t where she was meant to be – not right now. Once, she thought she could spend the rest of her life on this farm with her family and beloved animals. Now though, she wasn’t so sure.

“Yes,” she admitted, and though her stomach tangled in knots, it was like there was a weight lifted from her chest. “I don’t know Ryder, I thought I was doing the right thing by coming back here. By helping you and mom and dad with the farm, but …” But there was something wrong. She loved her family and her home, but she had never been anywhere except here other than the brief time when she had moved away for college – and even then she had returned as often as possible to help out.

“I get it,” she raised a brow and Ryan held up his hands in mock surrender, a grin spreading across his face. “Okay – I don’t get it. I don’t get why you’d _ever_ want to leave Northuldra. This place is incredible!” He spread his arms wide and was nudged in the neck by a hairy reindeer nose for his trouble.

Honeymaren laughed grateful as ever for her soft-hearted, wide-eyed brother for lightening the mood. He might smell like reindeer and hog the shower and steal her snacks – and maybe he used to wake her up by covering her nose with his armpit, but she wouldn’t trade him for the world.

“It is! I know it is, I love it,” she sighed and watched as the young calf was nudged by his mother up onto his too-long-legs and cantering away. “I love it here. I’m just not sure if I love my _life,_ here.”

Ryder’s eyes softened and he glanced at the reindeer beside him who was once an orphaned calf but had grown into a young, strong bull. Her brother’s large arms were thrown over the reindeer, whom he had affectionately nicknamed ‘Alf’.

“So, let’s do something about it,” he suggested, one arm abandoning Alf temporarily to rest on his knee, leaning towards her. “The city isn’t far – and mom and dad got over it when you moved out for college. I’m sure they’ll understand!”

“Oh, I’m not worried about them,” Honeymaren gave her brother a resigned smile. “It’s YelenaI’m worried about.” She watched as Ryder groaned, his head meeting his free hand, while the other gripped Alf’s fur.

“ _Yelena_. Oh God – she’s not going to like this.” Honeymaren hummed an affirmative, ripping pieces of hay to shreds between her fingers. “Maybe we just, you know, don’t tell her!”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that, raising a brow and looking at her brother sidelong from underneath her fringe. “Yeah – like that would go down well. The minute she found out we went behind her back she’d ride into the city, strap me to a reindeer and drag me back herself.”

Ryder grimaced and nodded; he knew she wasn’t entirely wrong. Their grandmother Yelena was a force to be reckoned with even at the best of times and fiercely protective of their culture – not simply their life as reindeer farmers, but those they were descended from. It was something Ryder and Honeymaren took pride in, but no one had pride for their heritage quite like Yelena.

“I don’t know what to do.” She broke the silence, looking up at the cloudy blue sky with a long sigh. “I can’t stay here. But I don’t know what I’ll do if I go.”

Ryder shuffled across the stretch of hay between them, carefully navigating the sections of reindeer poop and half-chewed food, to put an arm around his sister’s shoulders giving her an affectionate squeeze.

“It’ll be okay.” He promised and listening to the even tone of his voice, she almost believed him. “We’ll figure it out.”

Honeymaren smiled at her brother, taller and broader than her though he was two years younger. Reaching up, she ruffled his dark hair into his eyes prompting a cry of complaint from her sibling and a chuckle from her.

“Thanks, little brother.” She grinned, watching his attempt to brush the hair out of his eyes. He was long overdue a haircut. “You’re the best.”

“What about this?” Ryder pointed at the job listing on the screen, his bony chin jutting into her shoulder. He was stood behind her and smelt strongly of reindeer, she had _told_ him to have a shower, but he had yet to comply. Honeymaren was sat in the old dining chair that doubled as her computer chair. She shuffled uncomfortably, shrugging his head off her shoulder, only for him to move it to rest on the top of her head instead.

_Ugh. Brothers._

“ _Dog walker_?” The annoyance in her voice bordered on acerbic as she nudged Ryder lightly in the ribs. “I have a degree in animal business management. I think I can handle something a _little_ more complicated.”

Despite her disdain, she was grateful for Ryder’s assistance. Truthfully, she had been sat there almost an hour staring at the various job listings related to animals in the city, with no idea where to start. Yes, he was stinking up her bedroom, but at least he’d given her a starting point.

“Okay, okay.” He nudged her hand from the mouse impatiently and took over scrolling. There were a disturbing number of people who wanted carers for ‘exotic’ pets, which caused her to wrinkle her nose. Becoming involved in an animal smuggling ring was _not_ the kind of job she was looking for. “Jeez, how many people want regular pet sitters? Do city people even _like_ their pets?”

“I don’t want a _pet sitting_ job.” Honeymaren rolled her eyes, exasperated. She considered herself to be a level-headed individual and generally her relationship with her brother was pretty fantastic, but _boy_ could he bring out the worst in her. “I want a full-time job – somewhere I can get stuck in. Something like the farm but … in the city.”

Ryder pursed his lips thoughtfully, still scrolling through. Honeymaren had decided there was no use in looking for somewhere to live before she had at least applied for jobs, but this was much harder than she remembered it being. _Why can’t it just be like the movies? I’d pack my suitcase, hop on a train and walk straight into my dream job – whatever that is._

“What about animal rescue?” He asked, suddenly. “You know dog kennels, catteries. Animal rescue.”

Honeymaren sat up, suddenly paying attention. Animal rescue…not working for some rich guy who bought a pet he doesn’t know anything about. _Rescuing animals_.

“I could do that.” She said quickly. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Her favourite reindeer were always the orphaned calves, the ugly, the sick and the lonely. Those kinds of animals always ended up at rescue centres. She could do that.

“Cool.” Ryder grinned. “Now…we should probably work on your resume.”

Honeymaren groaned and let her head fall on the desk. This was going to be a long night.

Three weeks later and here she was again. Glued to her laptop screen, despite being utterly shattered from a long day of hard physical labour.

The email had come in last week, a polite invitation to a phone interview which she had completed early that morning, heart beating its way out of her chest. It was hard, after all the rejections she’d had over the last month, and the sheer length of time it had been since she had had to behave like a professional. But she’d made it through to the next round of interviews, this time in person and that meant it was time to start looking for a place to live.

Honeymaren wasn’t a particularly solitary person. She had grown up on a farm, in a large community of people that acted like they were her extended family – and a few of them actually were. She was used to people barging in unannounced, to going from four to twelve for lunch and waking up to find her mother’s cousin’s best friend asleep on the sofa. It was good, she was a people person – she _liked_ being a part of something. The idea of coming home from a long day at work to an empty house just didn’t appeal to her. Luckily, that helped with the issue of cost too.

“Don’t worry, Bruni,” Honeymaren said turning to glance at the fire salamander in his enclosure. She craned her neck to see that he was contently taking a nap under a decorative log, utterly unbothered by her dilemma. “I’m sure I’ll find someone we can get along with.”

Occasionally, when he was awake during the evenings, she thought she could see him react to her words. A lick of the eyeball, a determined look in the other direction – but now he was sleeping soundly to the tapping of her keyboard, the clicking of the keys an innocuous lullaby. In some ways she envied him. At least _he_ had a place to live.

 _Be optimistic._ She told herself, scrolling through the roommate ads on the site she’d found. _If you don’t get this job, you’ll find another one. You have savings._

It didn’t stop her being scared though.

“No pets, no pets, no pets … you’re _creepy_ … no pets …” Honeymaren’s mumbled a narration under her breath, chin in her hand, fingers drumming on her cheek. “Ooh a garden-! Oh. _No pets.”_

The whole process took her back to when she moved out for college and the stress that was apartment hunting on a student budget. At least then there wasn’t the complication of Bruni to add to the list; he had been a graduation gift from her parents and, despite Ryder’s tentative suggestion, there was no way she was leaving him behind. _Even_ if it made it easier to move out.

Honeymaren reached for the herbal tea she had all but forgotten about and took a sip. It was her grandmother's recipe, something her own mother had taught her and the thought of Yelena made her take several steadying breaths. She was on the brink of change after so long without it, and it had her heart stuttering in her chest. She was not the type of person to get overwhelmed easily, but then again this wasn’t easy. The scent of the fruity green tea soothed her and when she set her empty cup down she found herself reinvigorated.

“Okay.” She sighed and rolled her neck around on her shoulders, before settling herself at her laptop once more. “Let’s try this again.”

An hour had gone by, and Honeymaren was exhausted. She had replied to what felt like all the roommate ads in the city and her fingers felt like they were about to drop off. Some places she was hopeful for, others she was just hoping they wouldn’t reply, so she could say she tried everywhere and cross them off her list. Feeling satisfied, she reached out to turn off her laptop, only to halt at the chirping notification that blared from the speakers.

**Elsa:**

Hello.

I saw you replied to my post, looking for a roommate.

I’m Elsa.

It’s nice to meet you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on my elsamaren/frozen tumblr at @bielsahours (its a sideblog) and shout at me about elsamaren headcanons!

**Author's Note:**

> pls follow me on my elsamaren/frozen tumblr at @bielsahours (its a sideblog) and shout at me about elsamaren headcanons!


End file.
